Adjustable pressure foot construction for sewing machines



8, 1967 R. J. BOSER 3,334,605

ADJUSTABLE PRESSURE FOOT CONSTRUCTION FOR SEWING MACHINES Filed Nov. 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet l 2! INVENTOR 1, 39 Ronald J. Bose/- 4, BY Wq Aug. 8, 1967 R. J. BOSER 3,334,605

ADJUSTABLE PRESSURE FOOT CONSTRUCTION FOR SEWING MACHINES Filed Nov. 7, 1986 2 Sheets-Sheet INVENT OR F Ronald J.-B0.ser

United States Patent 3,334,605 ADJUSTABLE PRESSURE FOOT CONSTRUCTION FOR SEWING MACHINES Ronald J. Boser, 21 Bolan Drive, Huntington Station, N.Y. 11746 Filed Nov. 7, 1966, Ser. No. 592,637 2 Claims. (Cl. 112235) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A pressure foot for a sewing machine having a stem and a shoe supported by the stem, the stem being secured to a pressure foot bar and adjustable backward and forward. A spring is provided for pressing down the stem.

This invention relates generally to sewing machines. VIore specifically it relates to a sewing machine pressure oot.

A principal object of the present invention is to provide a pressure foot for a sewing machine having self-contained adjustament means for selectively stretching the material being fed to the machine needle thereby preventing Wrinkles being formed in the material along the sewn seam.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a pressure foot having self contained means for selectively controlling the amount of wrinkle retardation in a seam of a material.

Yet another object is to provide a pressure foot having wrinkle control means in a seam and which does not in anyway interefere with the normal sewing machine operatlon.

Other objects are to provide an adjustable pressure foot construction which is simple in design, inexpensive to manufacture, rugged in construction, easy to use and effic1ent in operation.

These and other objects will be readily evident upon a study of the following specification and the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a rear perspective view of the present invention shown attached to a pressure foot bar of a sewing machine,

FIG. 2 is a front shown per se.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary side elevational view thereof,

FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 1,

FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view taken along line 5--5 of FIG. 4,

FIG. 6 is a front perspective view of a modified construction of the present invention,

FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view thereof,

FIG. 8'is a fragmentary side elevational view thereof,

FIG. 9 is a similar view thereof shown in an alternate position, and

FIG. 10 is a view similar to FIG. 9 but showing the perspective view of the invention,

7 device in a raised, inoperative position.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, and more particularly to FIGS. 1 through 5, the reference numeral 20 represents an adjustable pressure foot construction according to the present invention wherein there is a shoe 21 and a stem 22.

The pressure foot is secured by means of a screw 23 to the lower end of a pressure foot bar 24 that extends downwardly from a sewing machine head 25; the pressure foot being raised or lowered (against a material 26 being sewn) by means of a lever 27 pivotable about a pin 28 to cause the bar 24 to be lifted or downwardly depressed. The head 25 also carries support means for a vertically reciprocating needle bar 29 having a pair of needles 30 secured to the lower end thereof.

The stem 22 comprises a generally L-shaped member having a vertical leg 31 and a horizontal leg 32, the vertical leg being receivable within a slot 33 of the pressure foot bar 24 and having an opening 34 for receiving the screws 23 that secures the stem to the bar 24. At the junction of the horizontal and vertical legs, there is an arcuate portion 36 commonly designed in pressure foot stems. The horizontal leg has a transverse extending pin 37 press fitted therein, the ends of the pin protruding outwardly from each side 38 thereof.

The shoe 21 includes a horizontal sole and an upwardly arced toe portion 39. A pair of longitudinal, paral lel slots 40 through the sole provide access for the needles 30 to pass through the shoe to produce stitches in the material 26 carried between the shoe and a feed dog 41 in the base of the sewing machine head, the feed dog having teeth 42 that normally urge the material 26 rearwardly. The shoe also includes an upstanding wall 43 on each side, each wall having an upwardly arced slot 44 having a forward end 45 and rear end 46. The ends of the pin 37 are retained slidably free within the slots 44, thus permitting the shoe to be moved forwardly and rearwardly relative to the stem as well as the needles.

A hold down spring 47 made of spring wire is secured at one end under a head of a screw 48 secured on the shoe, the opposite end of the spring; normally urging downward against the upper side 49 of the horizontal leg 32 of the stem. Thus the pin 37 is urged to remain in either one of the ends 45 or 46 of the slot where it has been placed by an operator, without the possibility of easily being displaced therefrom by chance.

In operative use, when relatively no material stretching is desired, the shoe is positioned on the stem in a rear setting, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 wherein the pin 37 is in the forward end 45 of the slot. When it is desired to stretch the material to prevent wrinkles the shoe is urged slightly upward against the action of the spring and then pushed forwardly to a forward position, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4 wherein the pin 37 is in the rear end 46 of the slot. In this position there is a longer portion of bottom surface 50 of the shoe urging downward against the material being fed under the needles than the length of surface when the shoe is in the formerly described rear position. This can be readily seen by observation of the relatively short dimension a in FIG. 3 when compared to the relatively long dimension A in FIG. 4. The length of this indicates the length of sole surface that retards the forward movement of the material 26. When the length is greater, the material is retarded and thus stretched to prevent wrinkle formation along the sewn seam.

In a modified construction shown in FIGS. 6 through 10, the assembly includes a stem 22 and a modified shoe 61 only; there being no hold down spring.

The shoe 61 is comprised having a sole 62 with parallel slots 63 therethrough, an upwardly turned toe portion 64, an upwardly turned heel 65 and parallel upstanding side walls 66 each having an H configurated slot 67 therethrough. The slot 67 is comprised of a. forward vertical groove 68 having an upper end 69 and. a lower end 70, a rear vertical groove 71 having an upper end 72 and lower end 73, and an interconnecting horizontal groove 74 at the mid portion of the vertical grooves 68 and 71.

In operative use, the pin 37 is seated within the forward lower end of the groove 68 when the shoe is in a rear position on the stem, within which position the frictional surface of the shoe underside, which is before the needles, is relatively small thus not retarding the material as shown in FIG. 8. When retarding of the material is desired to prevent wrinkling in certain fabric, the shoe is moved forward so that the pin 37 is seated within the lower end 73 of the rear groove 71, as shown in FIG. 9. Thus the frictional surface of the shoe is increased in size (as is evident by the larger dimension A in FIG. 9 when compared to the smaller dimension a in FIG. 8).

When it is desired to lift the pressure foot from the material, as shown in FIG. 10, the shoe will not lose its forward or rearward position upon being lowered again because upon lifting the pressure foot, the shoe will drop vertically causing the pin to lodge within a groove end which is directly above the groove end in which the pin was operated. When it is desired to alter the shoe position toward forward or rearward location, the pin can travel in the horizontal groove to get from one vertical groove to the other.

While various changes may be made in the detail construction, it is understood that such changes will be within the spirit and scope of the present invention as is defined by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a pressure foot for a sewing machine, the combination of a stem and a shoe, said stem supporting said shoe, means for securement of said stem to a pressure foot bar of a sewing machine, means for forward and rearward adjustment of said shoe relative to said stern, said stem comprising an L-sha-ped member having a vertical leg, a horizontal leg and an intermediate arcuate portion therebetween, said vertical leg having screw re- 3 ceiving means for securement to said pressure foot bar, said horizontal leg having a transverse pin secured therein, the ends of said pin protruding outwardly from each side of said horizontal leg for supporting said shoe thereupon, said shoe comprising a horizontal sole, a plurality of longitudinal parallel slots through said sole for admitting sewing machine needles therethrough, a forward arcuate toe portion, and a pair of upstanding side walls, each said side wall having a slot for receiving one said protruding end of said pin to provide said forward and rearward adjustment means, said slot being of H-shaped configuration, comprised of a pair of vertically spaced apart grooves and an interconnecting horizontal groove at a mid portion of said vertical grooves.

2. In a pressure foot for a sewing machine, the combination of a stem and a shoe, said stem supporting said shoe, means for securement of said stem to a pressure foot bar of a sewing machine, and means for forward and rearward adjustment of said shoe relative to said stern, said stem comprising an L-shaped member having a vertical leg, a horizontal leg and an intermediate arcuate portion therebetween, said vertical leg having screw receiving means for securement to said pressure foot bar, said horizontal leg having a transverse pin secured therein, the ends of said pin protruding outwardly from each side of said horizontal leg for supporting said shoe thereupon, said shoe comprising a horizontal sole, a plurality of longitudinal parallel slots through said sole for admitting sewing machine needles t-herethrough, a forward arcuate portion and a pair of upstanding side walls, each said side wall having a slot for receiving one said protruding ends of said pin to provide said forward and rearward adjustment means, each said slots being of upwardly arced configuration having opposite lower ends, a hold down spring, and means for securing one end of said spring to said shoe, the opposite end of said spring hearing against an upper side of said stem horizontal arm to normally urge said pin ends into said opposite lower ends of said upwardly arced slot.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,044,570 11/1958 Germany. 1,162,670 2/1964 Germany.

PATRICK D. LAWSON, Primary Examiner. 

1. IN A PRESSURE FOOT FOR A SEWING MACHINE, THE COMBINATION OF A STEM AND A SHOE, SAID STEM SUPPORTING SAID SHOE, MEANS FOR SECUREMENT OF SAID STEM TO A PRESSURE FOOT BAR OF A SEWING MACHINE, MEANS FOR FORWARD AND REARWRD ADJUSTMENT OF SAID SHOE RELATIVE TO SAID STEM, SAID STEM COMPRISING AN L-SHAPED MEMBER HAVING A VERTICAL LEG, A HORIZONTAL LEG AND AN INTERMEDIATE ARCUATE PORTION THEREBETWEEN, SAID VERTICAL LEG HAVING SCREW RECEIVING MEANS FOR SECUREMENT TO SAID PRESSURE FOOT BAR, SAID HORIZONTAL LEG HAVING A TRANSVERSE PIN SECURED THEREIN, THE ENDS OF SAID PIN PROTRUDING OUTWARDLY FROM EACH SIDE OF SAID HORIZONTAL LEG FOR SUPPORTING SAID SHOE THEREUPON, SAID SHOE COMPRISING A HORIZONTAL SOLE, A PLURALITY OF LONGITUDINAL PARALLEL SLOTS THROUGH SAID SOLE FOR ADMITTING SEWING MACHINE NEEDLES THERETHROUGH, A FORWARD ARCUATE TOE PORTION, AND A PAIR OF UPSTANDING SIDE WALLS, EACH SAID SIDE WALL HAVING A SLOT FOR RECEIVING ONE SAID PROTRUDING END OF SAID PIN TO PROVIDE SAID FORWARD AND REARWARD ADJUSTMENTS MEANS, SAID SLOT BEING OF H-SHAPED CONFIGURATION, COMPRISED OF A PAIR OF VERTICALLY SPACED APART GROOVES AND AN INTERCONNECTING HORIZONTAL GROOVE AT A MID PORTION OF SAID VERTICAL GROOVES. 